A Former Life
Charles Baudelaire 1821 (Paris) – 1867 (Paris)
Long since, I lived beneath vast porticoes,
By many ocean-sunsets tinged and fired,
Where mighty pillars, in majestic rows,
Seemed like basaltic caves when day expired.
The rolling surge that mirrored all the skies
Mingled its music, turbulent and rich,
Solemn and mystic, with the colours which
The setting sun reflected in my eyes.
And there I lived amid voluptuous calms,
In splendours of blue sky and wandering wave,
Tended by many a naked, perfumed slave,
Who fanned my languid brow with waving palms.
They were my slaves - the only care they had
To know what secret grief had made me sad.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 31 sec read
- 30 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AXAX ABBA ACC ADD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 590 |
Words | 106 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 3, 3 |
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"A Former Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/54862/a-former-life>.
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